Ashly Guzman

Professor von Uhl

FIQWS 10105
06 October 2016

Exploratory Essay: An exploration of Cinderellas and Draupadis Bravery

In most stories, the main characters have the same boring
characteristics. In western fairy tales, when the main lead is a woman, she
is usually portrayed as a weak individual focused on appearances. Yet, we
live in such a world where this is not the case everywhere. We can see this
in south Asian fairy tales where characters like Draupadi found in the
anthology: Gods, demons and others by R.K. Narayan are full of courage,
and are not afraid to break social stereotypes. On the other hand, western
fairy tale Cinderella by Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm seemingly promotes the
basic expectations of a woman by making Cinderella weak character who
needed a prince to come and take her away from her horrible step mom
and step sisters. But in reality she represents a very confident and
courageous young woman. It is because of misconceptions like these that
Draupadi and Cinderella although they share some similarities, Draupadi is
seen as a better role model and overall a more courageous woman when
compared to Cinderella. But, throughout their corresponding stories, it is
clear both characters showed a great amount of strength, bravery and gall.

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From the very beginning of Draupadis story, she is seen as an
extraordinary woman. Draupadi was fated to be amazing hence, she was
destined to marry five men. Most women at the time would have
completely opposed this as it was frowned upon in her culture but Draupadi
did not. Draupadi was not only breaking social stereotypes by marrying five
men but when she was gambled away by her husband Draupadi did
something no woman could even fathom, she defended herself against a
court of men with a simple question she wanted to know whether she had
been staked last or as last but one, Your Majesty, and when I [a messenger]
told her that Yudhishthira had lost himself first and then lost her, she had
the temerity to reply that the loss could not then bind; her, as Yudhisthira
had no authority to stake her when he was no longer a free man. (Narayan
156) Draupadis brave efforts to contradict her husband's foolish mistakes
were actually very intelligent and opened the eyes of the elders and
allowed her and her husbands a second chance at being royal.
The sole act of speaking out against the unfairness of her
enslavement is evidence enough that Draupadi was an independent woman
in a world where women were exactly the opposite. A 19th-century traveler
explains that in India, at no period of life, in no condition of society, should
a woman do anything at her mere pleasure. Their fathers, their husbands,
their sons, are verily called her protectors; but it is such protection! Day and
night must women be held by their protectors in a state of absolute
dependence. A woman, it is affirmed, is never fit for independence, or to be

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trusted with liberty their deity has allotted to women a love of their bed, of
their seat, and of ornaments, impure appetites, wrath, flexibility, desire of
mischief and bad conduct. Though her husband be devoid of all good
qualities, yet, such is the estimate they form of her moral discrimination
and sensibilities, that they bind the wife to revere him as a god, and to
submit to his corporeal chastisements, whenever he chooses to inflict, by a
cane or a rope, on the back parts ... a state of dependence more strict,
contemptuous, and humiliating, than that which is ordained for the weaker
sex among the Dindoos, cannot easily be conceived: and to consummate
the stigma, to fill up the cup of bitter waters assigned to woman, as if she
deserved to be excluded from immortality as well as from justice, from hope
as well as from enjoyment, it is ruled that a female has no business with the
texts of the Vedathat having no knowledge of expiatory texts, and no
evidence of law, sinful woman must be foul as falsehood itself, and
incompetent to bear witness. (Massie 153-154) This excerpt proves that
women in India are expected to live behind their husbands, fathers, and
sons. But on the other hand, Draupadi challenged this expectation by
defending herself and establishing the fact that she was not her husband's
property and it is amazing to see her power and bravery when she is not
afraid of contradicting traditional expectations in front of a court of male
leaders whose job it was to uphold tradition. The fact that the court
accepted her argument and accepted her demands which shows' just how
strong and powerful she was.

Guzman 4
Similarly, Cinderella is a character who is not fully appreciated as
some see her story as one that fed female stereotypes since it require the
heroism of the male prince other than the potential heroineand contribute
to the gender stereotypes of the time period rather than progressing the
womens movement toward equality" (Garabedian 23) but when her
character is analyzed a little more deeply, Cinderella's bravery becomes
prominent. When Cinderella was told by her stepmother, "No, Cinderella,
you have no clothes, and you don't know how to dance. Everyone would
only laugh at you. ...It's no use. You are not coming with us, for you have no
clothes, and you don't know how to dance. We would be ashamed of you."
(Grimm 3) Cinderella did not give up on going to the ball she was tenacious
and decided that she would go not one not two but three days she attended
the Royal festival. Cinderella had no money, no clothes, and
[metaphorically] no family yet she had something neither her stepmother
nor her stepsisters possessed: a kind heart. With her pureness, she was
able to obtain all that she wished from the tree because she had no ill
intentions. It is because of her kind and loving heart that she survived all
the abuse and teasing proving she was strong. The courage she gathered to
attend the ball despite knowing it would not sit well with her stepmother,
knowing she could have been locked up in the attic for weeks on end,
knowing she would be worked like a mule and despised by her stepmother
and stepsisters is all but enough evidence to prove how much of a
determined and brave individual she truly was.

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The two Princess are from two very different cultures yet,
shared the same fighting spirits which were shown throughout their
corresponding stories. Draupadi was able to combat a royal court by
contradicting traditional female Indian behavior meanwhile Cinderella was
brave enough to look past the punishments and repercussions and go to
the festival she was eager and worked hard to attend. Proving that both of
these characters can serve to be wonderful role models of bravery and gall
to the people who learn about them.

Works Cited Page

Garabedian, Juliana. Animating Gender Roles: How Disney is Redefining the

Modern Princess. James Madison Undergraduate Research Journal. 2.1
(2014): 22-25. Web.
<http://commons.lib.jmu.edu/jmurj/vol2/iss1/4/>

Massie, J. W. Continental India: Travelling Sketches and Historical

Recollections Illustrating the Antiquity, Religion and Manners of the
Hindoos, the Extent of British Conquests, and the Progress of Missionary
Operations. Vol. 2. London: T. Ward, 1839. 153-54. Print.

Narayan, R. K. "Draupadi." Gods, Demons, and Others. New York: Viking,

1964. 156. Print.

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Grimm, Jacob, and Wilhelm Grimm. "Cinderella." Cinderella. New York:
Larousse, 1978. N. Cinderella. University of Pittsburg. Web.
<http://www.pitt.edu/~dash/grimm021.html >.